Will an influenza pandemic be caused by the bird-flu inAsia?
Although the Health Department is concerned about avian (bird) influenza and its potential to develop into a pandemic, we need to address pandemic influenza planning as a whole, not just planning for the spread of the strain of avian influenza now in SE Asia. We don’t know if avian influenza will spread and develop into a worldwide pandemic. The next pandemic could be with a completely different strain of influenza, and could come from a different part of the world. The Health Department’s planning for pandemic influenza addresses a broad range of issues. Although there have been bird flu type viruses seen in poultry flocks in the USA, it is not the same type of virus as in Asia and they do not cause serious disease in humans. Public health and agriculture agencies work closely to monitor and control these situations.
